Dark circles under the eyes are unsightly. They make it harder to make the colour of your eyes stand out and can cause problems when contouring with your makeup. On top of that, you get asked all these questions about why you look so tired and whether you’re feeling well!
Let’s not even think or talk about the fact that the dark circles make you look older! It is time to get rid of them.
Okay, so apart from the dream world where you get more sleep on a night, and they magically disappear in a few days, what are your options? The good news is you have over the counter and herbal remedies that will help to lessen the dark circles and make your eyes and face look brighter.
It’s Time to Apply the Tomatoes
The first port of call is the ingredients you already have in your home. You may as well save money and treat your dark circles without adding chemicals or ingredients you’ve never heard of.
Tomatoes are one of the best options available. The acidic juices will soak into your skin, naturally bleaching it. They’re not too strong (like lemons or oranges) to cause sensitivity problems around this area.
You only need to chop up one tomato into slices a couple of millimetres thick and place them directly over your eyes. Leave like this for about 10 minutes.
Try doing it while giving yourself a facial to give your whole face a refreshing feeling. Lay back and listen to some soothing music, but watch out for falling asleep! It’s easy to do.
Do this on a daily basis—maybe just before you go to bed—to help the skin soak in the acidic juices and naturally lighten. You can also benefit by drinking some tomato juice on a daily basis. Try mixing this with a bit of mint for extra taste and to benefit the whole body. The mint is full of antioxidants that help to fight off infections and fight against cancer-causing free radicals.
Lie Back With Cold Tea Bags
Another popular option is to use cold tea bags. This doesn’t help to lighten the skin, but it will help to cool it down and reduce some inflammation. Over time, they will reduce the darkness of the skin underneath your eyes.
It’s another remedy that you can do from home without high costs. You can also use green tea if you prefer, which will help to add some extra antioxidants into the skin, helping to fight against cancer and illnesses as the mint does.
Whatever tea bags you use, you’ll only need to apply one on each eye. Make sure there is some moisture left in them and place them directly on the eyes. Lay back and enjoy the cool feeling for around 10 to 15 minutes. Having a batch in the fridge will work better, rather than using the ones that you’ve made a cup of tea with, but it’s up to you depend on where you are financially. You can always make the tea and then place the used tea bags in a jug of water in the fridge afterwards; pull two out when you’re ready for them.
The cool moisture helps to reduce the inflammation around the eyes, which occurs when you’re tired, emotional or suffer some eye trauma. Cold tea bags aren’t just useful for getting rid of the dark circles, but will also help if you suffer allergies and need to reduce symptoms quickly.
You can go one step further with this trick. Put some moist tea bags in the freezer for instant eye packs when you need them.
Apply the Cold Milk
Milk has been used for centuries in beauty routines. It’s moisturising for the skin, while also soothing for ailments. You also get the wide range of minerals—especially calcium—to work on the bone, teeth, and skin health.
Cold milk is better for the skin when dealing with dark circles. It’s much more refreshing and will help to reduce inflammation. The cold milk can also help to lighten the skin, brightening up the dark circles while dealing with the reason behind them. Milk also has anti-aging properties, helping to reduce the look of wrinkles and crow’s feet, so you look much more youthful than ever before.
Start by having a bowl of cold milk in the fridge. When you’re ready for it, dip some cotton wool in the milk and squeeze out the excess. Place them on the eyes and sit back to relax. You can do this while giving yourself a milky facial to get the full benefits of the ingredient on your skin.
You’ll need to do this on a daily basis, so turn it into your morning or night-time routine. Leave the cotton balls on your eyes for about 20 minutes to allow your skin to soak in all the nutrients and benefit from the hydration.
Pull Out the Oil
Oil seems to be the go-to option for a lot of beauty problems right. To be honest, that’s because oil does so much with just a few drops. This is especially the case when you opt for almond or coconut oils. If you’re allergic to either, try switching to seed or olive oil instead to get some of the same benefits.
First of all, the oil is a powerful moisturising agent. Many times, the dark circles are due to a lack of sleep and some inflammation. Adding moisture to your skin will help to reduce some of this inflammation.
At the same time, the oil will reduce signs of aging by keeping the skin moisturised. You’ll have fewer wrinkles and won’t have to deal with as many dark spots on other parts of the skin.
Try massaging the oil into the section under the eyes before you go to bed. Spend a good five minutes to work in the oil and encourage the blood to flow to the area under the eyes. This helps to reduce aging signs by keeping the blood vessels healthy. Sleep with the oil on your skin overnight and rinse it off the next morning.
You’ll not only be left with the lighter skin under the eyes but also softer skin throughout the day. You can also apply this to your whole face, giving yourself a mini facial at the end of a long day.
Opt for the Concealer
Sometimes you don’t have the time for all these home remedies. You need to find something that will improve the look of your dark eyes right away. Concealer is your best friend when it comes to this.
Look for a concealer that is in the shade of your natural skin. This helps to reduce the clear sign that you’re hiding something—a downfall many women have by mistake. If you’re going to wear foundation as well, match your concealer colour to your foundation shade.
Blend the concealer in at the sides to make the makeup look natural.
If you do have bags under your eyes as well as dark spots, don’t use the concealer directly on them. The best thing you can do is go to the bags. Adding the concealer directly onto the bags makes them stand out, so your markings under your eyes will just look worse.
This is an excellent option for hiding dark spots due to aging or pigmentation changes. You can apply the makeup directly onto the discolouration to completely hide it. On a night, remove the makeup and apply one of the methods to treat the reason for the dark circles above.
Don’t Forget the Sunscreen!
Whether you’re going out with some concealer or treating the dark patches naturally, you’ll want to protect the skin around your eyes. Many women apply sunscreen on their body but forget about their face, especially when wearing makeup. You think that you’re protected because of the layers of makeup, but the sun’s rays can still get in.
The best thing you can do is apply the sunscreen first. Put it all the way up to your eyes, looking for options that are designed specifically for the face to avoid irritation. There are some options that are foundation and sunscreen in one to save a layer of the application on the whole face!
If you allow the sun’s rays to hit your skin, you will make the dark spots worse. The radiation from the UV rays causes pigmentation problems and darkens the skin. As even as it initially looks on your arms and legs, it isn’t with your skin. The pigmentation will darken under the eyes and lips first—in most cases.
Try the Over the Counter Methods
When all of the above are failing—especially the natural methods—why not try out some of the over the counter options? Here’s a rundown of some options depending on the reason for the dark patches.
When It’s All About the Skin Thickness
Some dark patches form because the thickness of the skin isn’t enough. The blood vessels start to show, and this makes the skin look dark, patchy, and sometimes redder than it should.
You need to build the collagen in the middle layers to add some beef to your skin. The good news? A retinoid cream is perfect for you, and there are over the counter options to try. If these aren’t strong enough, you can talk to your dermatologist to get a prescription formula that is much stronger.
Look for a retinoid cream that is designed specifically for the eyes. The skin here is extremely sensitive, and some harsher creams lead to inflammation, irritation, and extra redness.
If you suffer from allergies, you’ll need treatment for them. The eyes are often irritated due to allergies, and the blood vessels are likely to rise to the surface. The shadows get worse, especially if the collagen isn’t thick enough. You can use antihistamines and retinoid creams at the same time in many cases, but do speak to your doctor first.
Also, make sure to choose the right makeup remover especially if you love wearing eye makeup. Rubbing your skin with to pry off your liner causes inflammation and capillary damage. Getting a makeup remover which are oil-based melt eye makeup with the least amount of rubbing, and losing fewer lashes as a bonus.
When It’s All About the Hollows
Sometimes the skin under the eyes looks hollow. There isn’t a quick fix for this or an over the counter one. You’ll need to see your doctor about the problem.
The best option for this is the use of a hyaluronic acid filler, which is an injection. The material will plump up the area around the skin to get rid of the sunken look. The darkness disappears with this. It will take a few months to see any benefits, and you’ll need regular injections to keep it working.
If you are suffering from this, try concealer to hide the problem first. You can then receive treatment but not worry about what others think while getting it.
Now It’s Time to Destress
Now that you’ve been through all those tips for lessening the dark spots and reducing the symptoms of aging and poor collagen production, it’s time to give your body the perfect gift. Your eye problems are all due to stress and a lack of sleep. Most of it is all because you’re not giving your body the lifestyle that it needs.
While you can’t always do anything about the time you have to sleep—kids don’t appreciate the fact that you need to your beauty rest, for example—you can help to give yourself a better night’s sleep. Improve the quality of your sleep by destressing yourself completely.
Yoga and meditation are great ways to do this. Try taking up just one session at first, and feel your worries leave you. You’ll also strengthen your whole body with yoga, and this does eventually benefit your eyes. Meditation helps you stop keeping the worries in your head, so your mind can unwind while you sleep. You don’t end up plagued by the bad dreams and suffer interrupted sleep.
It’s also worth focusing on ways to stop letting stress take over. Stop letting the cortisol build up in your body. It’s not just going to affect the dark circles under your eyes, but also affects your overall body and life expectancy. Try by looking at life more positively and taking action when you can to stop yourself needing to worry.
Focus on getting a healthy diet and create a bedtime routine that will help you unwind and relax. Let the home remedies mentioned above complement your relaxation routine, so you not only treat the reason for your dark circles but natural reduce the look of the undereye section at the same time.
The home remedies won’t work fully if you’re not going to protect your body and mind at the same time.
If you know you’re suffering from a lack of sleep (if you’re getting less than six hours), look at ways that you can change your routine. It could be something as simple as getting to bed an hour earlier. Be realistic but put yourself first.
It’s time to put yourself first. When you do, you’ll reduce the reasons for the dark circles and inflammation under your eyes. While you’re finding ways to do that, use the home remedies and over the counter options mentioned above and start disguising your dark circles to make yourself feel more confident in your looks.
